Abstract：Melatonin has many physiological functions in plants, such as regulating growth and development, improving anti-reversibility and delaying senescence. With the increasing researches on melatonin, such as in the field of plants, in recent years, it has been also successively reported on the roles and applications of melatonin in the preservation of fresh horticultural products, such as vegetables, fruits and cut flowers. This paper briefly reviewed the research progress in main physiological roles of melatonin, such as in scavenging cell free radicals, maintaining cell membrane integrity, regulating fruit ripening, delaying leaf senescence, and increasing stress resistance, towards preserving horticultural products. Moreover, its application prospects in this field were also forecasted.
2018, Vol. 31 
